


A haunting kind of hayride

by frostysunflowers



Series: Of bright autumn days and things that go bump in the night [7]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Protective Tony Stark, Scared Peter Parker, Spooky shenanigans, Urban Legends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-19
Updated: 2019-10-19
Packaged: 2020-12-23 20:27:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21087329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frostysunflowers/pseuds/frostysunflowers
Summary: A fun autumnal outing leads to a rather chilling encounter.





	A haunting kind of hayride

**Author's Note:**

> More seasonal silliness! For the prompt 'hayride' from [hailingstars 13 Nights of Halloween Challenge](https://hailing-stars.tumblr.com/post/187784838464/13-nights-of-halloween)
> 
> Please note that while the place/event described here is actually real, I've never been myself so don't come at me if you have and it's not accurate. Unfortunately for us Brits, haunted hayrides aren't really that much of a thing *cries*

''You see anything yet?''

''Nope,'' Quill grumbled, slouching against the brick of hay behind him, ''and I ain’t happy about it either.''

Tony rolled his eyes, chuckling as Nebula turned and smacked Quill none too lightly on the knee, making him yelp. 

''If there were some entity lurking nearby, it wouldn’t want to disgrace itself by coming anywhere near you.''

Peter’s eyebrows shot up and he tried to hide a grin as Quill rubbed his knee reproachfully. 

''I was promised a headless dude riding on a horse.''

''You’re from space,'' Peter said, idly playing with a handful of hay. ''I bet you’ve seen weirder things.''

Quill shrugged. ''Well, _ yeah _ but not while riding on the back of a cart pulled by a horse,'' he glared sourly into the twilight air. ''S’usually a lot more shooting involved.''

Tony gave Peter a warning look to prevent any further encouragement of Quill’s complaining. The kid smiled sheepishly at him before shifting around to gain a more comfortable position, ending up sitting sideways with his shoulder leaning into Tony’s back. 

A owl hooted nearby and a light gust of wind rustled some leaves on the ground. 

''Scared yet, kiddo?''

Peter snorted and shook his head.

''Is it supposed to be frightening now?'' Nebula asked curiously, looking up into the tree canopy above them.

Tony wasn’t sure. It had been Peter’s idea to drive out to Newtown to check out the famous Sleepy Hollow Experience, featuring plenty of wholesome fall activities like apple bobbing and pumpkin picking, finished off with a ride on a horse and cart along the track that the Headless Horseman himself had been reportedly spotted on many times over the years. The kid had cleverly twisted Tony’s arm about accompanying him by suggesting they test out the experience to see if it would be suitable for Morgan. 

The words hayride and headless horseman had been enough for an eavesdropping Quill to invite himself along, causing Tony to all but beg Nebula to join them as well, desperately needing someone to help stave off the inevitable insanity that would take over him.

Nebula didn’t object. In fact, she had looked shyly pleased to be included.

Tony had even managed to convince her to leave all her weaponry at the cabin, though he wouldn’t be surprised if there was a carefully concealed blade somewhere on her person.

Though they arrived at the place in good time, they found it already incredibly busy, bustling with a cosy sort of excitement that had both Peter and Quill grinning in enchanted delight. Even Nebula seemed taken in by the atmosphere, studying the multitude of pumpkin headed scarecrows with interest and accepting the candy apple that Tony offered her with a tentative smile.

In the crisp autumnal daylight, everything seemed warm and inviting, a mere hint of the old legend in the air adding a special kind of thrilling magic to the event. Children’s laughter and the happy voices of their parents had mixed harmoniously with the passing of apple cider and the soft neighing of the horses waiting patiently to start their trek through the nearby woods.

There was music, a band playing a lively session of songs on a small stage that had Quill dancing right from the start, causing quite a stir amongst the crowd. Tony had indulged the man for a while before sneaking off with Peter and Nebula to stroll through the pumpkin patch, snapping a picture when Peter found one three times the size of his head. 

Then the sky had begun to turn a cascade of sunset hues as the evening drew close, and something else settled over the land, turning the thrum of anticipation into a tingling shiver that had Peter shuffling closer to Tony’s side with a nervous smile as they waited for their horse and cart. 

Now, swaying gently from side to side as the cart trundled down the darkening dirt track, there was no ignoring the fluttering of suspense that seemed to be all around them, lurking in the trees and in the air like a chilly flicker of warning. 

Giant fire torches lined the path on either side, throwing out a vibrant glow that made every shadow loom tall and sinister as the last peak of sunlight vanished from the sky. The driver of their cart, a grey bearded man called Jack, had fallen quiet too, his flannel-covered shoulders becoming hunched and tense as they rode along. 

''Didn’t think it would be this dark,'' Peter said softly, curls rustling against Tony’s jacket as he looked around.

''Me neither,'' Tony agreed, watching the wisp of smoke rising up from the nearest torch. ''Don’t think we’ll be bringing Morgan to this one for a while yet, kid.''

''Not even for the apple bobbing and pumpkin patch?''

''There’s plenty of places that do that closer to home.''

''I guess,'' Peter sighed, sounding far too disappointed for Tony’s liking. 

''Aw, don’t go all grumpy teenager on me,'' he said, turning around so Peter could lean forward and duck under his arm. ''Hey, how about tomorrow we - ''

''Did you see that?''

Quill flailed upwards at Nebula’s question, clutching the edge of the cart as his head twisted back and forth searchingly. 

''See what? What is it?''

Nebula pointed towards the line of trees on the left, eyes narrow. ''Over there.''

Tony couldn’t help snagging hold of the hem of Peter’s jacket; not enough to stop the kid from shifting away to get a better look, but enough to lock in a tiny shred of reassurance for himself. 

''I can’t see anything,'' Quill moaned. ''Hey, dude,'' he yelled over to Jack, ''has anyone ever actually seen anything on this pony ride?''

Jack didn’t say anything, merely gave a gentle snap of the reins and the cart jerked into a faster pace with a thud of hooves. 

Quill squinted at Nebula. ''Are you sure you saw something?''

Nebula’s gaze was deadly as she looked at Quill, but the look was fleeting as her attention was drawn towards the trees again. 

''Mister Stark,'' Peter whispered, ''I see it too.''

There was something in Peter’s voice that Tony didn’t like. It made the hairs on his arms stand on end and a fierce sense of _ run, leave, get out _cloud everything, leading him to haul the kid back from the edge of the cart and right up against his side. 

Tony shrugged, aiming for casual. ''Probably just a shadow.''

And he was right. It was a shadow. 

A shadow of movement darting through the trees, visible just enough for the shape of someone sitting astride a galloping horse to be obvious.

''What the hell is that?'' Quill muttered. 

Light appeared, a blaze of orange, illuminating a pair of hollow, glowering eyes and a wide, jagged grin. 

''Whoa!'' Quill yelled, jolting back and falling into Peter’s lap. ''Is that real?''

''No,'' Tony said immediately, not believing his own words. ''Pyrotechnics, really good ones.''

No longer a shadow, the figure flew through the trees, fire trailing behind it like a flaming cape. 

Then, as though a mighty gust of wind had whipped through without them realising, the dirt track was plunged into darkness as every single torch was snuffed out. 

The figure was gone too and somehow, that was much worse. 

''Mister Stark…''

Tony fumbled for Peter’s arm, digging his fingers in just a little too tightly as he looked around, squinting into the blackness. 

Then somebody screamed up ahead. 

Nebula stood up abruptly and Tony immediately grabbed her by the wrist of her metal arm. She tensed but didn’t pull away, the tips of her fingers pressing coldness into his skin as they twitched. He’d been right about the blade, concealed up her sleeve, the very tip of it just brushing Tony’s wrist as she wiggled it down. 

Tony could feel Peter’s rapid heartbeat against his side, even through the thickness of their jackets, and Quill was cursing rapidly in harsh whispers somewhere by his feet, and then the darkness churned with more screams just as the cart suddenly lurched forward and began rattling violently along the track. 

Nebula’s arm fell from Tony’s grip as something shot past them, a blur of flames and rapid hoof-beats and there, menacing and scorched into the night, loomed the horseman. 

Tony barely had time to react before a sharp cry of ''take this, fucker!'' rang out and hay exploded around the fire, making it surge for a split second and then vanish completely. 

''Asshole!''

The cart shuddered to an abrupt stop, throwing them around in a jumble of loose straw and flailing limbs, and then the torches were flickering back to life and a questioning voice was calling out over their heads. 

‘’Bill! You okay?’’

Tony blinked, a huffed laugh of awkward relief leaving his mouth as he spotted the figure sprawled on the ground a short distance away, the broken remains of a pumpkin scattered beside him. A black horse was nudging the smoking man on the ground who was glaring furiously at them. 

Not a headless horseman, not a terrifying spectre of fire out to kill them all, but just a guy in a fancy special effects suit. 

A very pissed off guy in a fancy special effects suit. 

''What the hell is your problem?''

Tony glanced pointedly at Quill who held up his hands sheepishly. 

''Hey, man, you looked pretty convincing! How was I supposed to know you weren’t some crazy spook trying to steal our heads?''

''Because it’s a damn family attraction, you moron!''

Tony shushed Peter as he started to laugh, his entire body shaking with merriment, and perhaps a little relief. 

''Look,'' he called as the guy stalked towards them, ''I’m sure we discuss this reasonably.''

One heated discussion and a rather generous donation from Tony later, along with a promise to never come back, the foursome trailed wearily towards Tony’s car. It was the only one left in the muddy stretch of space that served as a car park. 

''Bunch of jackasses,'' Quill complained, glaring down at his feet as he walked. 

''You only have yourself to blame.''

Tony didn’t even try to hide his grin at Nebula’s words. 

Quill pointed a finger at her. ''Hey, you were as freaked out as I was and you know it.''

Nebula’s look was deadly, promising pain of varying levels, and Quill whined in defeat, hurrying ahead and whining even more when Nebula stalked deliberately after him. 

''It was pretty creepy,'' Peter said quietly, tucking his hands into his pockets. 

''Not bad,'' Tony agreed, still revelling in the light sensation of relief skipping in his stomach. ''Shame we can’t come back again.''

Peter’s answering laugh fell short as he froze and turned on the spot, eyes narrow and shoulders hunched. 

''What? Do you smell blood on the wind?'' Tony teased, glancing over his shoulder and seeing nothing but the shining, wet trail of their footprints.

''I thought I heard…'' Peter shook his head, ''...something.''

''Probably just the wind, kiddo. Or that guy come to seek revenge on Quill.''

They start walking again, a little haste in their steps, but then Tony heard it and it made him stop in his tracks. 

The trailing echo of a horse’s whinny, the approach of hooves on the ground and a low, ominous cackle that seemed to whirl through the air and wrap around them in a chilling grip. 

Against his better judgement, Tony turned as Peter did, squinting into the dim light created by the few torches standing nearby. 

''You heard that, right,'' Peter whispered, not needing to truly ask. 

''Yeah, kid,'' Tony grabbed Peter by the shoulder and pulled him close. ''I heard it.''

A movement at the edge of the path within the woods that they'd walked along moments ago caught his eye, a flicker of shadow and flame peering back at them through the dark.

''Mister Stark - ''

''C’mon, kid.''

Tony pushed Peter along, only looking back once, foreboding creeping across his skin like ice as those menacing eyes kept on staring at him, right above a sharp grin that held no trace of warmth. 

It felt like a warning, some sinister kind of threat that Tony knew would follow him home, sink into his dreams and dog his steps for days to come. 

''Keep walking, kid,'' Tony murmured as Peter turned to glance over his shoulder. ''Don’t look back,'' he ordered, hand pressing against Peter’s cheek to keep his head from turning. 

''What is it?'' Peter hissed, looking to the side just enough to catch Tony’s eye, looking too frightened for Tony’s liking. 

''I don’t know, Pete. And I sure as hell don’t wanna stick around to find out.''

**Author's Note:**

> I genuinely can't write creepy/spooky stuff to save my life, the temptation to make this all a joke was so strong so this is the best I can do haha. Thanks for reading!


End file.
